Guaido's Representative to OAS Says Trump-Guaido Meeting Not Being Prepared

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido’s representative to the Organization of American States (OAS), Gustavo Tarre, told Sputnik that a meeting between Guaido and US President Donald Trump is not currently being planned.

When asked on Wednesday whether a meeting between Trump and Guaido is being prepared, Tarre said, "No".

Earlier in the day, the White House announced that US President Donald Trump spoke with Guaido over the phone. Trump expressed his support to the self-proclaimed leader, and they agreed to maintain regular communications.

On 23 January, head of the Venezuelan parliament Juan Guaido declared himself the country's interim president. Incumbent leader Nicolas Maduro has said that Washington has been orchestrating an anti-government coup in the country.

On Tuesday, Venezuela’s National Assembly picked Tarre as representative to the OAS despite the fact that President Nicolas Maduro announced that he would pull the country out of the organization in 2017, with the procedure taking two years.

Last week, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced the appointment of Elliott Abrams as a new US Special Envoy for Venezuela, who served as the special envoy for Venezuela in the administrations of presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. Abrams was reportedly criticized for supporting Contras in Nicaragua and the El Salvador military as both were accused of major human rights abuses during military conflicts. Former US presidential candidate from the Green Party Jill Stein has accused Abrams of leading the 2002 failed coup in Venezuela.

Tarre told Sputnik last week that he hopes to have a good relationship with new US Special Envoy for Venezuela, stressing that Abrmas "is a very experienced diplomat".

Gustavo Tarre told Sputnik on Wednesday that Guaido does not plan to leave Venezuela for meetings with US officials, emphasizing that the travel "outside of Venezuela" is not in line with the current priorities of the self-proclaimed country's president.

On Tuesday, the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice banned Guaido from leaving the country until the investigation into his case is completed.

The United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain has declared their intention to recognize Guaido as the country’s interim president if Caracas does not announce new elections within eight days. Maduro, for his part, has rejected the ultimatum, saying that it ignored Venezuela's rights of a sovereign state.

Gustavo Tarre, in an interview with Sputnik, reteirated opposition's hopes that the EU would recognize Venezuela's self-proclaimed authorities.

"What I hope is that they are going to recognize the Juan Guaido government", Tarre said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, another Venezuelan self-proclaimed president's envoy Carlos Vecchio visited US Congress on Wednesday and requested support from lawmakers to end President Nicolas Maduro's power in order to recover democracy in Venezuela.

“We just wanted to explain to them our agenda, that we need the support of the US Congress in order to recover our democracy”, Vecchio said on Wednesday. “Mainly we said that we need support in order to end this power of Maduro, we need to finish the dictatorship in Venezuela”.

Vecchio explained that his delegation expressed to US lawmakers the need for congressional support to establish a transitional government in Venezuela and to hold free and fair elections in order to elect a new president. Vecchio also called on all Latin American countries and the European Union to support the self-appointed interim president and head of opposition-dominated National Assembly Juan Guaido.

Self-proclaimed Venezuela's interim president Juan Guaido said Wednesday that European Parliament President Antonio Tajani had expressed his support for the Venezuelan legislature amid the ongoing political crisis in the country.

"I spoke to Antonio Tajani, the chairman of the European Parliament, who has confirmed the support for the National Assembly, the only legally elected body in Venezuela. I appreciate your support on behalf of all Venezuelans", Guaido wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

Russia and other major powers, including China and Turkey, have refused to support the Venezuelan opposition leader, instead backing Maduro as the country's legitimate president and demanding that other countries respect the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of another sovereign state.

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